Chapter 1349
Returning the favor, we can't always let Liu Shanmin suffer losses.
Sunday was unusually sunny; by 11 a.m., the outdoor temperature had already reached 25 degrees Celsius.
Tian Junjie sat on a small stool wearing a straw hat. In front of him was a three-pronged wooden stick that had been prepared in advance. The fishing rod, which he had specially bought from Wucheng, looked very new and was well maintained.
His Jialing CVT motorcycle was parked two meters behind him.
Although it was a small motorcycle, it was unique among the group of anglers, as everyone else had bicycles, making his ride seem particularly high-end.
The only drawback is that not far below the dam, in the semi-swampy grassland, the old shepherd occasionally observes this area.
Even though he didn't look, Tian Junjie could still feel the burning gaze on his back from time to time.
This old man is very nosy. Just two days ago, he chased a guy who was electrofishing a few hundred meters to the south into the reservoir and confiscated his battery and fish.
The old man even came over and scolded the fishermen, saying they were just fishing for nothing and didn't stop the electrofishing.
It was only then that Tian Junjie realized that the reservoir had been contracted out to someone.
Although he was scolded, he was not stopped from fishing, so Tian Junjie came back again with peace of mind.
These days, it's not easy to find a good fishing spot on the weekend. This reservoir isn't far from the county, and the fish are biting well. I never come back empty-handed, and if I'm lucky, I can even catch a big fish. There are all kinds of fish, and I often encounter little surprises.
He occasionally saw people setting nets in the water, something Tian Junjie found rather distasteful.
What kind of skill is casting a net? Fishing is the real ability!
However, since he arrived early today, Tian Junjie was quite envious as he watched the person taking out the gillnets put several gillnets into bags, with fish weighing at least ten kilograms and varying in size hanging inside.
Looking away, Tian Junjie felt the float bob up and down a few times, and he immediately perked up. Was there a fish?
There are already a few fish in the fish basket, but they are all small crucian carp. Everything about this reservoir is great, except for one thing: the aquatic plants are too abundant, and some herbivorous fish don't even bother to come and eat the bait.
Having tried many methods, Tian Junjie finally came up with an idea regarding the bait used for groundbaiting. He added some blood food when mixing the fish bait, which would attract some omnivorous fish.
And there they are, they've taken the bait!
Suddenly lifting the rod, Tian Junjie's smug expression froze on his face—this wasn't a fish!
This is... a crab?
His expression changed several times before he finally confirmed that this was indeed the legendary crab!
Don't be surprised, Tian Junjie is forty years old, and this is the first time he has ever seen a live crab!
With its claws outstretched, Tian Junjie was momentarily at a loss. The crab hadn't been caught by a fishhook; its pincers were gripping the hook, making it look dangerous in the air. As soon as the pincers loosened, the crab fell into the water.
Tian Junjie immediately regretted it. No matter what, he should have pulled the rod back!
These are live crabs!
Tian Junjie was a little unwilling to give up, so he put down his fishing rod, picked up a net, and tried to scoop up the crabs where they had fallen, but to no avail.
After thinking for a moment, he retracted the fishing hook, pinched a small ball of bait on it, and skillfully flicked it, sending the hook flying back to the same area.
He believed that since he had caught one crab, there was a chance he could catch a second one.
Moreover, Tian Junjie was certain that there could not possibly be only one crab in this reservoir.
The float started bobbing quickly, and just as it was about to sink, Tian Junjie immediately pulled up the fishing rod. To his disappointment, he found a half-grown carp hanging on the line.
Normally, he would smile happily, but at this moment, he only felt disappointed.
After retrieving the carp and putting it in the fish basket, Tian Junjie continued fishing until it was almost dark. All the other anglers had already left, and he finally packed up his gear and went home, disappointed.
Not a single crab was caught.
Riding his Jialing mini-motorcycle with its scooter, Tian Junjie wondered if he should change the bait next time he came.
When he got home, his wife, Miao Xiu'e, complained that he was late, so Tian Junjie told her about catching a crab.
"I really didn't expect there to be crabs in there!" Tian Junjie exclaimed. "What a pity, it was only the size of a palm. If I hadn't hesitated and had taken it back, I could have cooked it today."
My wife is from the south, and my father-in-law was one of the first young people to come to the border regions. He was already married when he arrived, but after settling down here, he brought his wife and children over.
So, the crab wife wasn't unfamiliar with crabs. When she heard Tian Junjie say that, she casually replied, "Next time you go fishing, bring a piece of chicken liver or some animal offal with you. Crabs like to eat that."
Miao Xiu'e didn't care much about this. She was just curious for a moment and then moved on. After all, she hadn't seen it for herself and still had some doubts.
Her husband is quite addicted to fishing, and she thought that if he actually caught a crab using her method next time, then so be it; but if he didn't, she would have to give him a good talking to.
After all, there's only one weekend a week, and we still have to take care of our families and children.
Of course, today's harvest was quite good. So many fish! We'll clean them up later, some for our own family to eat, and some to give to the elders on both sides of the family.
This can be considered an improvement in our meals.
Although both husband and wife have jobs, they can't afford to eat meat every day at their current standard of living; they have to be careful with their finances.
After listening to his wife's advice, Tian Junjie brought a chicken liver he bought from the market when he went to Xiaohaizi's place the following weekend.
According to his wife, Tian Xiu'e, pig liver was the best, but he couldn't bear to spend that one yuan. A pig liver cost one yuan, while a chicken liver could be bought for ten cents.
He figured he might as well give it a try; spending too much money wouldn't be worth it.
Although we arrived quite early, three other anglers were already in position.
Tian Junjie went over to take a look. They were all acquaintances. He chatted for a bit, praised the other people's fishing results, and then found a place to cast his line.
Because he wanted to catch crabs but didn't want others to know, Tian Junjie chose a spot far away from others, with the nearest angler being nearly 100 meters away.
Anyway, there are plenty of fishing spots down to the dam on the east side. Set up your stool, get ready, put the chicken liver on the hook, and cast the line.
I didn't bait the area this time, mainly because I didn't want to attract other fish; I just wanted to see if there were any crabs.
Time ticked by, and Tian Junjie, who was usually as steady as a rock, felt like he was being tortured.
The drifter remained motionless; he was getting a little anxious.
Are there no crabs in this area, or did I arrive too early, or are crabs not interested in chicken liver?
The float finally moved slightly, and Tian Junjie's heart skipped a beat. As the float sank, he immediately pulled it up and then showed a disappointed expression.
A small, unwanted fish bit into a chicken liver and wouldn't let go.
Tian Junjie reeled in the fishing hook, put the small fish into the fish basket, and then threw the chicken liver out again, letting it fall into the water.
This time, for a full 5 minutes, the float swayed from time to time but never sank to the bottom.
Tian Junjie lost his patience, so he simply lifted the rod, intending to collect the chicken livers and give up on crabbing; he was going to fish instead.
To his surprise, a small crab was brought up with a chicken liver tightly clamped between its legs.
Even as the crab was dehydrated, it was still flailing its claws. Tian Junjie pulled the string over, and the crab still seemed to be threatening him.
"Hehehe," Tian Junjie laughed, "Isn't this a success?"
His earlier disappointment vanished. Following his wife Miao Xiue's instructions, he vigorously shook the fishing line a few times, shaking the crabs into the specially placed basket.
The crab, still not satisfied after going in, crawled around in the basket, making a rustling sound.
After the first one, there was a second one. This time, the second crab was caught in less than ten minutes.
By lunchtime, there were already five crabs in the basket. Tian Junjie was quite satisfied—as long as there were some, that was enough. As for the quantity, he had been fishing in this small lake for quite some time, and catching crabs was already a blessing.
As he packed up his basket, a fellow angler pushed his bicycle over and, seeing his empty fish basket, comforted him, saying, "It's okay to go home empty-handed, come back this afternoon."
Some people brought their own food and decided not to go back, intending to stay here for another day.
Tian Junjie left in a hurry, mainly because the chicken liver was used up and there was no point in continuing. He didn't want to go fishing for a while and just wanted to go back and share the catch with his family.
I returned home excitedly, only to find my wife busy in the kitchen.
For lunch, we had rice. My wife stir-fried tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant with some diced meat. This dish goes well with rice or noodles.
My son, Tian Mingwei, was watching TV. CCTV's children's channel only airs for a little over two hours on weekends during the day, and at this moment it was showing the second studio.
When Tian Mingwei saw his father return, he got up to greet him, then stared intently at the television screen. He sat down at the coffee table with paper and pen in hand, as if he were writing something.
Tian Junjie knew that his son was participating in a quiz show in the second studio, where viewers who answered correctly had a chance to win a Little Tyrant learning machine.
My son really wanted one, but it costs over 300 yuan a unit, which is more than a month's salary for him, so we couldn't afford it and didn't buy it.
Let's see how lucky my son is.
When Miao Xiu'e saw Tian Junjie return, she poked her head out of the kitchen and asked, "You're back quite early today, what's this...?"
"Come on, take a look!" Tian Junjie proudly opened the basket to show his wife, and a crab suddenly crawled out of the basket and fell to the ground.
The couple exclaimed in surprise, and their son, Tian Mingwei, also looked over. However, he didn't see any crabs, and the question-and-answer session had reached a crucial stage, so he didn't come over.
After Miao Xiu'e caught the crab and put it in the basket, the quiz activity was over. Tian Mingwei then came over and asked:
"Dad, what happened just now?"
"Xiaowei, come and see!" Tian Junjie proudly showed off his work.
He made no mention of how he had been pricked by a crab's claw while catching it, causing his hand to bleed.
That noon, an extra dish appeared on the Tian family's dining table.
That afternoon, the elders of both Tian and Miao's families learned that there were crabs in a reservoir less than ten kilometers from the county seat!
The following week, Tian Junjie became much more extravagant when he went crabbing, this time using a one-yuan pig liver, which was then noticed by other anglers.
Tian Junjie stopped hiding it and told everyone else, who became excited.
Crabs are something that 99% of people have never seen. Of the remaining 1% who have seen them, most have only seen tiny crabs among shrimp.
How can it be compared to something alive?
Yang Laoliu was surprised to find that recently, there had been a significant increase in the number of people fishing at Xiaohaizi Dam.
However, since Li Long had said that the fishermen were not to be concerned, he did not go up to the dam to take a look.
As long as it's not electrofishing, it's fine.
Li Long had already driven to Kui City by this time. Liu Shanmin had called the day before, saying that they had set off from Khorgos, the convoy was staying in Jinghe, and they would arrive in Kui City the next day.
Kui City is a major transportation hub. To get to the oil city, you have to pass through here and then transfer there. So Li Long's idea is to wait here, pick up the people and machines, and then redeploy them.
In the morning, he was in Director Du's office in Kuishi, eating watermelon while enjoying the electric fan, and chatting about the cotton harvester and cleaning machine.
"Aren't you overestimating me by bringing this?" Factory Director Du said to Li Long. "This is a cotton harvester! Do you think we can produce one? There are only a handful of countries in the world that can make one!"
Li Long chuckled and said, "Old Du, don't underestimate yourself. Think about it, the drip irrigation equipment in the factory right now is world-leading."
"We both know what the situation is," Director Du said irritably. "Although I also wanted to take credit for it—no, I already have—in reality, without your ideas, what we produced would be at best similar to that kind of machine."
"It would be great if we could produce one just like the prototype." After finishing his watermelon, Li Long put the rind aside, took out a tissue to wipe his hands, and said:
"Let me tell you, don't be fooled by the fact that the total cotton planting area isn't that large now. In the next five to ten years, the cotton planting area across Xinjiang will be frighteningly large!"
"I know this without you reminding me." Director Du waved his hand. "Let me tell you, the Corps has already started preparing to tackle this problem."
The reason we haven't taken action is that since the Corps has its own plans, there's no need for us to interfere. Your actions now put me in a very passive position.
"Passive? What do you mean?" Li Long said nonchalantly. "They're just making plans, right? They haven't actually done anything."
Today I can bring you the most advanced cotton harvester from Old Medier Company, the one that can harvest five rows at once. Oh, and the cotton cleaning equipment too.
"With these machines brought over, I refuse to believe that our machinery factory has the capability to replicate them."
Factory Director Du began to ponder. Li Long, knowing he was interested, pressed on further:
"In a few years, the cotton planting area in Xinjiang will be tens of millions of acres. Just think about how many people will be needed to harvest it. Even if people are brought in from other parts of China, there will still be a huge shortage."
Given the work ethic of our production and construction corps, would they tolerate such a situation? They would definitely implement mechanized harvesting. If we get it right first, just imagine the orders…
This isn't a snowplow; each one only makes a few hundred or a thousand in profit. A cotton harvester costs millions; one is equivalent to hundreds of snowplows!
Factory Director Du frowned; the attraction was strong enough.
"Think about it, even if each production and construction corps only buys one cotton harvester from you, how many production and construction corps are there in Xinjiang that grow cotton? There must be at least eighty or a hundred, right?"
Factory Director Du's furrowed brows relaxed, but he still asked, "Xiao Li, how many cotton harvesters did you get? How new are they?"
How much cleaning equipment do you have? Based on your usual habits, these things should all be high-quality products from Europe and America, right?
Actually, I've looked into cotton harvesters. The latest model from Mediterranean cotton harvester costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you bring two to our factory as samples, I'm afraid that if we convert that into shares, plus what you already have, half the factory would be yours!
Hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Li Long suddenly thought of something: Liu Shanmin packed all this equipment for him and charged him $50,000.
In reality, even a second-hand cotton harvester in later generations would typically cost one or two million yuan, which translates to two or three hundred thousand US dollars.
A brand new one would cost at least three or four hundred thousand, right?
This is just one machine; what if there were two? What if we added the cleaning equipment? Even if the other packing machines are just extras, even if they are second-hand, the total would still be close to a million dollars, right?
He sold it to me for only $50,000. I owe him a huge favor.
When I spoke with Liu Shanmin earlier, I focused more on the oil field's shares and didn't pay attention to this.
Now that Director Du has said that, Li Long realizes that he owes Liu Shanmin a huge favor.
However, it seems he must have gotten enough benefits from the loan and exchange for US dollars, otherwise he wouldn't have given himself such a favorable price.
Everything comes at a price, or perhaps many of my unintentional words have already cost me money for these devices.
Of course, this was just self-consolation; Li Long kept his gratitude for Liu Shanmin in his heart.
"No need for that much, a third will do." Li Long snapped out of his reverie and joked, "I wouldn't dare take half. You're a state-owned enterprise, after all; I can't compete with the country for its interests!"
"Hehe, not bad awareness," Director Du laughed, "but don't even think about getting a third, it all belongs to the state. But we can consider giving you a larger share of the profits from the research."
However, I need to wait until the cotton harvester and cleaning machine arrive and discuss them with the others in the factory before I can make a decision.
“That’s definitely no problem.” Li Long knew that once the company became large enough, it wouldn’t be a matter of Lao Du making decisions alone anymore. With the Party Committee involved, the approval of the majority of people would be required.
Of course, Li Long wasn't involved and didn't care about all that.
His idea was simple: if the local machinery factory could handle it, then they would. If not, they would take it back and directly seek cooperation with the Production and Construction Corps.
They were much more interested in these big guys than Director Du was.
However, the system in the Corps is different from that in the local areas. Li Long had never dealt with the collective before, so they had never cooperated.
Since Director Du had expressed his opinion, Li Long didn't ask any further questions and shared his own thoughts.
According to Li Long's idea, if cotton harvesters are developed ahead of schedule, then a cotton ginning plant must be available to support them.
Currently, cotton procurement is controlled by the state and handled by the cotton and linen companies of the supply and marketing cooperatives.
However, if we were to use machine-harvested cotton now, cotton companies would definitely not accept it. This is because machine-harvested cotton is very dirty; it contains not only cotton leaves and stalks but also bits of plastic film fibers from the ground.
Manual cotton picking at most results in some leaves or other debris being mixed in, which is relatively easy to remove.
However, if it contains plastic fibers, it becomes difficult to remove. Ordinary cleaning equipment simply cannot remove it; only the imported equipment that Li Long bought this time can clean it.
Importing equipment will inevitably lead to a bottleneck; others can sell it at whatever price they want, and sell as many units as they want.
Therefore, it is crucial to transform the technology of imported equipment into our own.
This is also why Li Long sought out Lao Du.
"Are you sure you'll allow private purchases of cotton in the future?" Director Du was somewhat surprised by Li Long's idea. "How could that be?"
“What’s impossible?” Li Long said. “Ten years ago, you probably couldn’t have imagined that things like medicinal herbs, furs, and scrap iron would be allowed to be bought and sold privately, right?”
"Only a few years have passed, and how many private individuals have started businesses and companies, and how much of what was originally state-owned has been privatized?"
Factory Director Du began to ponder.
"Of course, some key things will still have to be state-owned. Don't worry, we can't become like the Soviet Union," Li Long reassured him, knowing what he was thinking.
Factory Director Du snapped out of his daze, smiled, and said, "Definitely not."
Li Long then mentioned that he had brought an expert from the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which immediately piqued Director Du's interest.
However, upon hearing that he was an expert in oil and gas, he said with some disappointment, "Look at you, you've already brought the equipment over for me, why didn't you think of getting me a mechanical expert?"
Li Long suddenly realized, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that?"
Although the technical capabilities of the machine shop have already grown considerably, wouldn't it be much more efficient to recruit a top mechanical engineer from Kazakhstan for research and replication?
We certainly have such technical experts here, but they have their own research projects and can't come to this small place to do this.
It's good to take advantage of Kazakhstan's current difficult situation, as most of their experts are currently on hold. It would be a good opportunity to bring a few over to conduct mechanical research, which would be a good way to make the best use of their talents!
Li Long slammed his hand on the table and said, "Old Du, look at my brain, you really reminded me! Okay, I'll find Old Liu today and tell him to go back and look for it. Don't worry, he'll definitely find it!"
"Yes, as long as you really understand the technology and are really willing to come, we will definitely offer you high compensation!" Factory Director Du said.
He was part of the system and knew the situation there. Although the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was not as large as our country, it was still the third largest economy in the Soviet Union and had an advantage in industry, especially heavy industry.
If we can't compare to the whole country, we can at least compare to the northern Xinjiang region.
If we could bring over a national-level expert from there and place him at the Kuishi Machinery Factory, he would be more than capable of making a difference!
"The expert I brought over this time has only one special requirement: to participate in Party activities!" Li Long revealed this special condition, which surprised even Director Du.
"If the mechanical expert you find can also make such demands, I'll be overjoyed. We'd love for an expert like that to participate in our organizational activities!" said Director Du.
Li Long smiled and shook his head: "Those with such firm beliefs are ultimately a minority. Most people are just trying to make a living. I can't guarantee that I can find the expert you want."
"Think about it, as long as you can find genuine experts," Director Du said, "I'll accept even if the requirements are a bit high!"
As lunchtime approached, Li Long was already waiting at the corps headquarters. Liu Shanmin knew Li Long was in Kui City, but he didn't know the location of the machinery factory, so Li Long had to guide him there.
A long convoy of cars drove up, and Li Long hurriedly went to the roadside to wave, then drove ahead to guide them.
The main problem is that the convoy is too long, and it's troublesome to stop and start again. Besides, the remaining distance is not long, and it's not convenient to park on the side of the road now, so we might as well go to the machine factory first.
The convoy followed Li Long and turned towards Kui City. They drove all the way to the entrance of the machinery factory, where Li Long drove the cars inside, and the convoy parked on the side of the road.
After quickly parking the car, Li Long and Factory Director Du rushed out of the factory gate, just as Liu Shanmin and his group got off.
Li Long introduced Liu Shanmin to Factory Director Du. After shaking hands with Factory Director Du, Liu Shanmin introduced Li Long to the expert from Kazakhstan, Akinbek.
"Hello!" Akinbek was in his fifties, wearing a white shirt, a suit jacket draped over his arm, and leather shoes. His hair was neatly combed, and Li Long thought he must have tidied himself up before getting out of the car.
"Hello, Comrade Akinbek." Li Long shook hands with the other man and said with a smile, "I never expected you to speak Chinese so well."
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Director Du from the Kui City Machinery Factory."
Ajinbek shook hands with Director Du and then asked, "Director Du, are you a Communist Party member?"
"Yes," Director Du said with a hint of pride, "I am, and I've been a Party member for seventeen years."
“I’ve been a Party member for thirty-three years,” Akinbek said earnestly. “Comrade, hello! May I see your organization’s activity room?”
Li Long and Factory Director Du exchanged a glance. Was it really that fierce?
"Okay, okay, no problem." The Party member activity room wasn't exactly a secret place, so Director Du took Ajinbek there.
Li Long then led Liu Shanmin to sit down in the conference room on the first floor. Someone from the factory naturally took the driver to rest and eat watermelon; this had all been arranged beforehand.
“This Akinbek is truly a believer,” Liu Shanmin said, shaking his head. “He kept asking me about various aspects of the Party’s construction along the way.”
As you know, I'm not a party member myself, so I don't know much about this. Now that he's finally found the organization, we really need to study this carefully.
Li Long waved his hand and said, "He didn't end up here. My second brother found him a grassroots community party branch, which is different from here."
By the way, how many cotton pickers and how many cotton cleaning machines did you bring this time?
"Two cotton harvesters, three sets of cotton cleaning equipment, and three sets of supporting equipment," Liu Shanmin said. "Is that enough? The equipment brought over from the US is mainly for research purposes, so the quantity is not large."
Actually, the Soviet Union manufactured more of them, but they didn't have a good reputation; people said they weren't very good at using them.
"The price you gave me is too low," Li Long said. "You've given me too much of a discount, haven't you?"
Liu Shanmin smiled and said, "No, let me put it this way. In terms of actual value, it is indeed very high. It would take at least seven or eight hundred thousand US dollars to get it. We all know that."
But given the current situation there, prices aren't calculated that way. Let me tell you, although things have settled down for me there, the country is still in chaos.
Economic turmoil cannot be stabilized by a few words from the top. There are severe shortages of goods, and production is in disarray; it simply cannot be restored in a short period of time.
So these things are just sitting there anyway. If they could be exchanged for supplies, those people would definitely be willing to do so.
Because these devices are controlled by another group of people, if we had discovered and acquired them in advance, they might have been cheaper.
I didn't actually exchange money for it. With you there, our channels were open, and we traded supplies worth about $50,000 from here. So I'm not lying."
Li Long understood.
Liu Shanmin certainly didn't mention reducing his own role, but exchanging supplies would be more realistic.
After all, in a time of extreme scarcity, money was meaningless; only real supplies were truly valuable.
Moreover, these aren't the kind of supplies that are only for show and not for use; they have to be things that you can actually take out and eat or use in your daily life.
For example, the white sugar or canned goods that I exchanged myself.
It seems that investing in this canned food production line was really worthwhile.
“Alright, I can’t let you work for nothing. The fifty tons of sugar and one hundred tons of canned goods you took this time will be the final payment for these equipment.” Li Long made the decision. “I can’t let you keep losing out.”
“Okay, then I’ll take advantage of this.” Liu Shanmin was a straightforward person and said, “Just let me know if you need anything else later.”
Many talented people have gone home now, there's not much work available. I can find you some if you need it.
"Then could you help me find someone who researches these cotton picking and cleaning machines?" Li Long seized the opportunity. "I plan to research these things in this factory, but to be honest, our factory's technical capabilities aren't quite there yet. If we could bring in some experts, that would be best."
"No problem, I'll look for it for you when we get back," Liu Shanmin readily agreed.
“Right now I’m busy with my own mission, and my superiors are also asking me to help find some experts, especially those who are willing to come. Of course, their expertise is different from what you’re talking about, but I’ll take care of it all at once.”
That's how it was settled.
Soon, the factory's office staff came to inform them to go to the canteen for lunch.
They eat earlier than the factory workers. This is mainly because there are more people coming and more people working in the factory, so they need to eat at different times.
Besides, Director Du values these guests quite a bit and added some dishes; it wouldn't be appropriate for them to eat together.
During the meal, Li Long saw that Ajinbek and Factory Director Du were having a lively conversation. Ajinbek was mainly asking questions while Factory Director Du was answering. Li Long overheard a few sentences and found that most of the conversation was about organizational activities.
This isn't exactly a secret, because you can buy standard books about this kind of content at Xinhua Bookstore—the Party Constitution, and regulations and rules for Party branches, etc.
Li Long thought to himself, "If this old man knew he wasn't going to this factory, but rather a community Party branch, would he be disappointed?" (End of Chapter)